HDN: Christmas Countdown
by Symantra
Summary: Blanc is dragged into something she doesn't want to be in. She'll change her mind soon enough.
1. Day 1

"And so, according to tradition, we've got to have a Secret Santa gift exchange or we won't meet our yearly quota of themes!"

Neptune beamed proudly, leaving the other goddesses to digest the announcement she had just made. Lounging in three of the many available seats in Planeptune's penthouse, they exchanged glances. When the purple CPU had summoned the others to her abode in the morning, none of them had expected to receive an invitation to a Christmas party.

"Are we following tradition or trying to meet a quota? Make up your mind," Blanc demanded, eyeing her host with suspicion. At the same time, Noire looked at Neptune and frowned.

"I don't recall any tradition like that, but maybe it just isn't a Lastation thing. Technically, you do live in a different country."

Vert touched her fingertips together and gave her opinion after the other two spoke. "My, what a wonderful idea," she lauded. "I haven't participated in a Secret Santa for who knows how many years now!"

Indifference, apprehension, and enthusiasm. At least one reaction was encouraging, but the rest were lukewarm. Neptune, the most spirited of the bunch, rose to her feet in indignation.

"Come on, you guys," she pleaded to the two unsmiling CPUs. "Can't you just enjoy the holidays like normal people? Where's the Christmas, where's the love?"

"We aren't normal people," Noire rebuffed. "We're CPUs."

"You're only saying that to spite me! Even CPUs can have friends, Lonely Heart!" Neptune jived. She ducked behind her beanbag for cover when Noire rose to her feet.

"I'm not lonely, I told you that already!"

Before either could attack the other physically or verbally, Vert—who had sat quiet ever since voicing her approval—cleared her throat with a firm "Ahem!"

Both CPUs fell silent. Vert scrutinized them through a narrowed gaze, but her face soon lit up in its typical proud splendor.

"I think that Neptune has made a good suggestion," she said, "for once. How—"

"Hey! Those two words weren't in the script!"

"—often is it that we CPUs actually gather to celebrate Christmas? Not for half a decade at least, if my memory serves."

Each of the goddesses nodded in turn. Neptune was first, eyes set as if she was at a business meeting. Noire followed suit soon after, and Blanc reluctantly did the same.

"This may be just my personal opinion," Vert continued, "but I quite enjoyed that little get-together we had. Even though it isn't rare for the four of us to be in the same place, there's something about the holidays... the vibe, the atmosphere you could say... that makes it a little more enjoyable. This Secret Santa is the perfect opportunity to rejoice in another year well spent."

Having reached the culmination of her speech, Vert's smile widened as she met the eyes of her fellow ageless associates. She rose, bowed and received her standing ovation—Neptune clapped a few times for good sport—and sat down again.

"There we go! Finally, someone who can speak my language!" Neptune's smile encompassed her whole face. "I knew I wasn't the only one who liked to party!"

Not to be left out, Noire coughed and chipped into the conversation. "W-well, I'm working with a busy schedule. Maybe if you pick the right time, I'll attend. I mean I'd like to go, but if you can't organize this party well then I may as well just stay home."

"You're being pretty evasive today," Blanc commented. "What do you want from her, a private invitation?"

"Whaaat? Why would I want something like that? I-I don't even need a private invitation, since I'm already part of the group," said Noire. Her refusal drew a snort from the snow-white goddess.

"Bet you'd reschedule your whole damn month if Neptune invited you over for the night."

Blanc's retort left Noire spluttering, and she looked a dozen different ways before turning around to muffle herself in her beanbag. It didn't matter how she hid herself though, since the other three had already seen her face redden.

"Ahaha... Thinking dirty thoughts, Noire?" teased Neptune, but even her own face was turning red. The implications had not gone over her head, and her voice belied her own embarrassment.

"Mmfgh," Noire mumbled into her beanbag.

Blanc was beside herself; her satisfied smile made it clear that she had enjoyed teasing the two. However, she quickly became aware of a pair of patronizing eyes drilling into her skull. She sobered up. Her eyes snapped to her observer, but Vert held her eyes for a second more before turning away.

The fair-haired goddess cleared her throat again and declared, "Anyway. I believe there's one more thing left to do."

"And heavens, what would that be?" said Blanc in a poor imitation of Vert's voice. Refusing to fall for the taunt, Vert ignored her.

"Neptune, have you prepared something to draw names? A hat will do fine... Oh, we can just use Blanc's! I assume you have a pen as well, Blanny?"

Blanc, whose face had darkened at the mention of her hat and again at the assumption she had a pen, snapped at the usage of her pet name—her pet peeve.

"Oh yeah, sure. Take my damn hat, and my pen, and I probably have some paper stuffed away somewhere, huh?"

Vert could not resist one last jab at her short-tempered friend. She hummed, aware of the three CPU's eyes focused on herself but completely ignorant of the dangerous glint in the third's eye.

"Somewhere? Have you checked your bra?"

A low growl rose from the back of Blanc's throat. She stood up, knocked her chair over, and marched to the balcony door.

"To hell with your Christmas party! Fall in a pit and die," she spat. The goddess transformed and exited through the window, leaving the curtains parted and the door wide open. Vert's shoulders fell a bit.

"Oh, darn. She took her hat with her. Now we can't draw names for the Secret Santa."


	2. Day 2

Blanc leaned over her keyboard and typed furiously, letting her fingers fly over the buttons without a regard for the words being produced as a result. This entire section would have to be heavily edited and proofreaded, but that could come at a later date.

Behind the computer desk, which faced the door of her room to hide the screen, her Oracle stood a short distance away with crossed arms. Blanc peeked around the monitor. Mina's expression was somewhere between displeased and disapproving.

"What's this about a gift exchange, Blanc?"

Instantly, the typing came to a stop. Dehydration—the query stopped Blanc in her tracks and derailed her train of thought.

"What gift exchange?" she said casually, thumbing the space bar. She held down the left shift button on her keyboard and played with the keys. Space, select, delete, save, space...

"Secret Santa," the Oracle said simply. "I heard from Planeptune. Why did you decline?"

Gritting her teeth, Blanc grabbed her computer mouse and clicked around, opening a web browser and a folder filled with documents. "That's none of your business," she declared in a stentorian voice. She added, with a tinge of hostility, "Everybody's been pestering me about wasting time at some stupid Christmas party. What's it to me? And what's it to you?"

Mina ignored both questions and waited, thinking, for a few moments. Then, surprising the moody CPU, the Oracle walked to Blanc's bed and sat down, put her hands in her lap, and smoothed her outfit.

"I'm not sure what is making you so profusely opposed to a simple party," she sighed, putting on airs, "but don't you think you are going about it the wrong way?"

Blanc sat back in her chair and tore her eyes away from the monitor to look at Mina.

"I just don't want to waste my time. I'm a busy CPU who has things to do."

"Like what? Writing stories and reading the news?"

Blanc cringed at the accusations, both of them true. Mina did not—or pretended not—to see and continued her lecture.

"The holiday season comes once a year, Blanc. It may not seem like much to you, since Lowee is wintry almost year-round, but this is a special time. Do you know why people celebrate during the holidays?"

Like she was afraid to hear the answer, Blanc asked hesitantly: "What?"

Mina's lips suddenly formed into a smile, and her brash tone from before changed. "To keep their lives from going stale," she said pensively.

Fixing her scholarly hat, Mina stood up and walked over to the desk. She laid a hand on the surface of the table and looked at Blanc solemnly. Now that she clearly had the CPU's attention, her words were not accusing but illustrative.

"We can't allow ourselves to fall into routine for too long. Let me tell you a story of something that happened long before my time, maybe even before yours.

"Once, the four nations were at war. The landmasses were separate at that time; each CPU ruled from their Basilicom, which was no more than a stronghold built to house the champion of Lowee, or Planeptune, or Lastation, or Leanbox. The CPUs all needed shares, which we ourselves know are always in a state of flux. At the same time, they were afraid of losing the shares they already had to the other nations. No one person instigated the war; what started the war was both envy and jealousy. It was the fear and insecurity of four people.

"But, after a long while, the winds of change blew like they always have. The CPU of Planeptune at the time stopped making appearances to the routine battles that took place in Celestia, somewhere in the ether above Gamindustri. Rumors went about that she was defeated or that she gave up, but her disappearance helped the CPUs to realize something: If nobody is making headway then what was the point? They fought those battles for nothing, as one individual's loss would be leveled by the next person's. Eventually they decided the fighting was futile and simply stopped waging war. You can imagine how that development changed the way Gamindustri was governed.

"To a certain extent, the war is still ongoing to this day. However, the most important difference is that you and the three other CPUs are friends. While you compete for shares, none of you resort to fighting and stealing."

Mina smiled, signifying that the story was over. Blanc realized that she had been clinging to every word. Rarely did she take an interest in history and the past, yet the idea of a Gamindustri in which the CPUs were enemies intrigued her.

However, Blanc still had no idea why Mina bothered telling the story. There must have been a moral that the Oracle wanted to express. "So, what point are you trying to make? 'Keep the peace' or something?"

"Enlightenment," responded Mina. "By breaking routine and looking for an alternative to fighting, the old CPUs put aside their differences and made new bonds. Can't you see? Christmas gives the chance to become closer with the people you know and better your relationships. Friendships can bloom, love can blossom. Maybe even you—"

"Stop! I don't want to hear any more than that," Blanc interrupted, cutting off the rest of the words. She saw a satisfied smile break out on her Oracle's face. "Fine, fine. You want me to go to the party, right? Okay, I'll go."

Mina smiled and held her hands in front of her lap. As if she had accomplished her objective, she took a few steps back toward the door.

"Soon, you'll understand why I insisted on your participation. Please enjoy the holidays while you can, Blanc."

* * *

Blanc grit her teeth as she watched her hat, turned upside down, be used as a random number generator. Of all the things, her hat—and her least favorite goddess!

"Wow!" Vert squealed as she reached into the hat. "This is so soft! How I would love to have it for my own—"

"Don't you dare."

"—as a Christmas gift, maybe."

Clearing her throat, Blanc placed both hands in her lap and sat up straight. Through her rigid posture and stern glare, she let the goddess of Leanbox know: There was no way in hell she would be okay with Vert wearing an identical hat.

"Although Blanc, you do look rather cute without your hat," the blonde prattled on ignorantly. "Really, I think you should take it off more often."

"Just take a damn name already."

From the hat, Vert pulled a slip of paper and hid it in her closed hand. She stepped back, and Noire stepped up.

"I'm next," she announced as she put her hand in the white hat. She stopped for a second and moved her hand around. "It... really is soft."

After Noire, there were only two people left. When neither stepped up to pull the second-to-last name from the hat, Blanc looked expectantly at Neptune, who was watching her with a wide smile.

"Go ahead, Blanny," she said affectedly. "I'll take the leftovers."

Seeing no reason to refuse, Blanc stood up and approached her hat. Two slips were left inside, but there was no way of knowing without cheating. Maybe she would pull her own name. Before she drew hers, she looked at Vert with a smug smile.

"Leftovers? She probably meant you."

Vert narrowed her eyes and turned her nose up. "Hmph."

Blanc reached into the hat and scrabbled for one of the two pieces of paper. As soon as her fingers touched something that did not belong in her headwear, she closed her fingers around it and returned to her seat.

Neptune stayed true to her word and settled for the last choice. Then, she picked up the hat and put it on her head. It covered her bangs and threatened to hide her eyes.

"Hey Blanc, how do I look? Am I wearing it right?" Neptune walked the hat to its owner, sporting a lopsided grin. Almost amused by the performance, Blanc snatched her hat and resettled it atop her head.

"Sure. We'll say that," she said in fake sincerity. If the other CPU picked up on the sarcasm, she made no mention of it.

"Remember!" Neptune, always the self-proclaimed leader, looked around her entourage of four. "No checking your giftee until you leave! Oh, and we'll do the exchange on Christmas day, so make sure you're ready. No present for your person means no partying for you!"


	3. Day 3

Blanc's eyes strayed again to her table, where she knew lay a slip of paper small and thin and insignificant like a paper fortune. It was the name of the person whose Christmas present she would have to buy, but it had not moved ever since Blanc pulled it out of her own hat.

"What the heck am I supposed to get for Neptune?" she moaned, planting her face in a pillow.

Neptune was an impossible target at the same time that she was an easy clear. How simple it would be to buy a six-pack of pudding at the nearest corner store, or even go out of the way to purchase a more expensive version elsewhere, but two things stood in Blanc's way: her Oracle Mina and her own conscience.

Mina had caught her leaving the Basilicom the night before, and Blanc was forced to explain herself.

 _"You will not wrap packaged consumables for a Christmas present,"_ the Oracle had chided. _"Simply put, that is not the proper spirit of Christmas."_

"I should've just left without saying anything," Lowee's CPU muttered now, nestling a bookmark between the pages of her read. Mina had been sitting at her desk studying as she usually did on quiet days. She had not asked a single question until Blanc announced that she would be stepping out for a bit. Then she had laid down the rules. Even for the goddess of Lowee, there was no circumventing the warning of the Oracle; Mina would have persisted until Blanc deferred to her will.

After making a wise retreat to her room, Blanc had become aware of yet another complication that had arisen in her plan: herself. For some asinine reason, she felt guilt after that encounter with Mina. It was not the first time that Mina had scolded her for such a thing—very often did she voice her disapproval of pessimism, profanity, and many other traits Blanc just happened to possess. However, this time the shame of admonishment weighed heavily on the CPU's mind.

The holidays came once a year, and with them a pervasive sort of sentimentality. They were a time of respite recognized by everyone, indiscriminate of race or origin. Cold as she was, even Blanc was affected; a Christmas gift should be thoughtful, not five hundred credits at the item shop. Refusing to respect a holiday tradition and agreement by her friends was... the worst kind of betrayal, wasn't it?

Now with her original idea in tatters, Blanc was left high and dry. Patron of the ever-snowy land itself, Lowee, she had no idea as to what to give to her longtime friend whom she had known for decades.

Blanc found Neptune to be incredibly, extremely, stupidly annoying. Nobody in the world was more unbearable than that girl when she was set on distracting Blanc from her books and her stories. She would to shut up, leave, or even sit quietly. Even when she wasn't intentionally trying to irritate anyone, her very presence was sidetracking.

But at the same time, Neptune was fun. Her antics never failed to amuse Blanc, who usually watched in the corner of her eye with taciturn amusement. There was a certain quality—good one—about the girl's intermineable sense of humor.

People like Neptune usually laid their interests out for all to see. It wasn't hard to see what they liked and didn't like. For Neptune, the go-to gift was sweets and desserts. Other things she liked were games and other related accessories, but that was an obvious penchant of all the goddesses—and the vast majority of Gamindustri. Consoles and games were readily available though, and it would be way too easy to order the latest hardware. Still, a gift was a gift..."

Someone knocked at her door, saving her from further thought. Blanc didn't even need to respond before the gilded doors creaked open to permit a two interlopers, one pink and one blue.

"Heya Blanc! We're here to play!" the pink one said.

"Is... Is that okay, Blanc?" the blue one said.

Her book already closed and hidden under a pillow—it was new, and she loathed the idea of losing it to the twins already—Blanc fixed her siblings with indifferent eyes and said to them, "That's fine."

With a cheer, Ram charged into the room, and Rom brought up the rear. Blanc was already starting to regret her decision, but she sighed inwardly and let it slide. Maybe she really needed a little R all the thinking she was doing recently could be stresssing her out.

Climbing onto the bed near Blanc's feet, the twins made themselves comfortable. Ram unloaded an armful of paperbacks, and they got to work with crayons and coloring pencils.

"Hey, watch it," Blanc warned as she pulled her foot away from a pile of coloring books. "You better not get crayon markings all over my bed, or I'll kick you both out of the house."

The threat went unheeded by Ram, although Rom immediately picked up all her pencils and held them in her other hand while she drew.

"We can just live with Vert," the left-handed twin said cheekily. "She said we're always welcome at her Basilicom!"

"Vert? Trust me when I say this"—Blanc lowered her voice for dramatic effect—"but you do not want to live with Vert. She's insane. Plutia levels of insane."

While not quite true, that warning seemed to do the trick. Ram looked like she remembered something unpleasant, but she did not share the memory out loud. Instead, she picked up her crayons and scribbled even more intensely in her book.

That was the scenario for quite a while. Blanc did not move from where she was lying on the bed, and the twins colored page after page of the books they had brought. They never ran out of material, partly in thanks to Blanc's own collection. Older books tended to disappear from the less visited shelves of her library, but she decided chasing thieves wasn't worth the effort.

Seeing an opportunity to ask for help, Blanc decided to get the input of her two younger sisters. One of them could give her the inspiration she needed so desperately. She sat up and, after making sure that the books in their laps did not belong to her, asked them what they would get for the CPU of Planeptune.

"Neptune?" Ram repeated, not looking up from her coloring. "What does she even like?"

"M-maybe games... and pudding," reckoned Rom. Her sister, ever the echo, nodded and asserted her agreement.

"Well, then get her games and pudding," she said. "That's easy!"

Blanc sighed. There was the simplest, plainest idea again. It was only inevitable that the twins would have come to the same conclusion initally, but it was no help to her.

"It needs to be something special," Blanc rephrased. "Food and games are things she already has. She can get those whenever she wants."

"So, it's not just like a birthday present then?" Ram asked. Blanc shook her head.

"Nope. Christmas is more important, isn't it?"

The twins fell silent for a little bit. Rom looked like she was giving serious thought to the problem. She put down her crayons, and her mouth was a deep frown.

"Get her..." Rom said after a while. But her voice tapered off until all was silent again. "Neptune likes games and pudding, so you can get her..."

Seeing her sister's distress, Ram coughed and took over. "It doesn't matter, does it? Just buy her a really cool game and some pudding. That's special enough, right?"

Both girls looked up at their older sister, their expressions apologetic. For the hundredth time that day, Blanc heaved a sigh. She was no closer to finding her elusive Christmas gift for Neptune.

Almost like an afterthought, she scooted closer to put an arm around the two, surprising them, and pulled them both into a rare hug. Rom made a startled sound at the sudden move, but she quickly forgot her surprise and made herself comfortable in Blanc's fur-lined embrace.

"Thanks," Blanc murmured and squeezed their shoulders. "I'll just have to think about it a bit more. But I appreciate that you two tried so hard to help."

Ram hugged her sister back and, unable to hide her excitement, whispered to Rom, "Hey! Blanc's actually hugging us!"

Blanc pretended not to hear.


	4. Day 4

Blanc stood outside the gaunt metal doors of the Basilicom. Here in Lastation, the sky was an unnatural shade of dark blue, a space gray unlike anything in Lowee. To Blanc, who rarely ever visited Noire's domain, it was urban and unsettling. This nation was one of her least favorites, if only because of its heavy industrial aesthetic and convoluted nature.

The CPU of Lowee gathered her wits about her and entered the building, pushing open the door with her entire body weight. It opened with a little elbow grease, and she slipped inside when there was a big enough opening. Behind her, the door groaned ominously and started to undo her efforts.

"How can I help you?" A bored voice greeted her as the door shut. "Oh. Lady White Heart of Lowee, it is my pleasure. What manner of business brings you here today?"

"Nothing too important. Is your Lady here?"

Blanc noticed the man's shift in tone when he realized he was talking to a higher power. She herself automatically slipped into formal speech when she responded to him. Being overly casual when talking to a subordinate sometimes came off as presumptuous, but at other times it was the sign of a respectable leader. Blanc took no chances, since she was sorely unfamiliar with the Basilicom staff of Lastation. Social interactions were so backward sometimes.

"She is currently upstairs in her quarters," the receptionist told her. "Take the stairs to the right of my desk. I do not believe she is working currently, but please be mindful. This time of year is when she is at her busiest."

Giving her thanks, Blanc followed the directions and climbed the indicated flight of stairs.

"Now I wonder," she said to herself, "what Noire could be up to at this time of year... so close to Christmas."

The stairs and corridor led to a single door, but it was sealed shut. Curious, Blanc put an ear to the door and listened for sounds: nothing. Daringly, she tried the doorknob and jiggled the latch to find that it was unlocked.

Curiosity and mischief kicked in, and she cleared her throat soundlessly. She knocked twice on the door then twisted the handle, and it swung open without a hitch.

"Noire? Are you in here?" she asked. She panned the room hoping to find something unusual, but there was only a lump on the bed. The resident CPU was just sleeping. "Noire?"

"Mm... What." Noire came to life and slowly sat up, muttering complaints. The blankets fell off her figure, but thankfully she was clothed in a sky-blue nightgown with excessive white fringes. However, the gown was made with such diaphanous fabric, sheer to the point of transparency, that it hid absolutely nothing. Even at a distance it revealed a miniscule, non-important fact: Noire slept without underwear.

Blanc stood in the doorway, her face frozen in shock. Whatever she had been expecting to see when she burst into the goddess' sleeping quarters—cosplay, fantasizing, Christmasing—this was not it. The same thing could also be said for Noire, whose face illumined like a firework. Hastily, she scrabbled at the blankets and clutched them to her shoulders.

"Blanc? B-Blanc?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. The goddess thrust a hand out in front of her, and the room was inundated with transforming light. Noire reappeared in her goddess form, platinum-white hair grown out behind her like a river of starlight. Her processor unit showed no less skin than it always did, but it at least covered all of its wearer's indecencies.

"What do you want, Blanc?" Black Heart rose from the bed with a murderous gleam in her eye. Her face was still pink, but her voice had stabilized into something low and menacing.

Regretting her impulse to surprise the CPU, Blanc took a few steps toward the exit while Black Heart hovered toward her. An instinctual fear made her words come out rushed. "I just came to visit! I didn't mean to see it, I just didn't know if you were around or not!"

She stopped herself from transforming. Her intent was not to pick a fight, but her own HDD persona would be more than willing to do so. That would have the small consequences of inciting a war and ultimately Noire refusing to help her out.

"Visit? How rare of you..." Floating closer, Black Heart pinned her visitor with a chilling glare. "What disposes you to decide you may disregard the common courtesies of being a guest in another's home? Or have you simply forgotten out of disuse? Do you need me to help you remember: announce your visit ahead of time, make your presence known, and _do not trespass in the owner's private quarters_? Begone for a moment!"

Black Heart lashed out and slammed the door, shutting herself in her room. Blanc heard, through the door, an HDD powering down and some cursing. After that, there was only silence. Releasing a bottled-up breath, Blanc closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. There was nothing like a friendly chat with Noire to improve their relationship. No wonder she avoided Lastation; there were too many things that could go wrong.

Behind her, the man who operated the lobby approached with uncertain footsteps.

"Um... Is something amiss?" he queried, fussing with his droopy black sleeves. "I heard yelling amidst other noises. I was almost sure a quarrel had broken out."

Blanc assured him everything was fine and that there was no need to propitiate the goddess Black Heart. In the same moment, the door opened and revealed Noire, wearing proper clothes and a grumpy expression.

"Come in Blanc," she said curtly. To her secretary, she nodded and dismissed him. "We have some things to talk about. Thanks for your concern, but that will be all."

Blanc let herself be ushered into the room, and she stood awkwardly off to the side while Noire settled down at a cluttered workspace opposite her bed.

"So," the goddess of Lastation said. She picked up a stack of papers and took her time leafing through it. Her words were clipped like she could barely contain her anger. "What do you want, Blanc?"

"I need help. With my gift for the exchange."

"Oh..." The CPU stopped straightening her papers. Her shoulders sank, and she let out a resigned spiel of laughter. "Hahaha-HA-ha... Heh heh heh..."

Noire put her work away. She spun around in her chair, stood up, walked around Blanc, and plopped onto a couch on the other side of the room.

"Sure, I'll help with your dilemma. Funny that you'd ask me of all people though; wouldn't you be better off asking someone else? Neptune or Vert are pretty good with this kind of thing. Or even better, someone who isn't participating. We all have sisters, with the exception of Vert. But you could always go to Chika, and she may even buy the gift for you. Wait, who are you even getting a gift for? It isn't me, right?"

Blanc didn't respond immediately. Still on her guard, she shifted her weight from foot to foot and shook her head.

"Well, then who is it?" Noire asked again. Her voice turned persistent. But then, like it was obvious, her mouth formed an O-shape. "Wait, it's Neptune, isn't it?"

Blanc was taken aback at the accuracy and speed of Noire's guess. "How'd you know?"

"You mean, 'How wouldn't I know'? There are only four people. It was a fifty-fifty chance."

Now that the target had been acquired, Noire proceeded to grill her protégé for information: What did Neptune like, what did she dislike, what games did she play, what was her favorite color? The last one was obvious, and Blanc answered with complete confidence.

Noire crossed her arms and leaned back in her recliner. Humming thoughtfully, she wondered aloud, "Shouldn't you be talking to Nepgear about this?"

"I tried, but I didn't get any ideas." Blanc shook her head. "All I learned from her was a bunch of information that would come in handy if I needed to be Neptune for a day. I'm trying to get a present for her, not stalk her."

The two goddesses continued to bounce ideas off each other. Blanc considered each one in full. Any idea or combination of ideas could possibly be the ideal present.

"What about a necklace or something?" Noire suggested, casually kicking her legs over the armrest of the sofa.

Blanc thought about it for a moment. "I don't think she would like it."

"Well, you want something special, so it has to be memorable too. It's gotta be something she'll carry around or put in her room, like an accessory or decoration or keepsake. Maybe a good luck charm?"

"I guess it's not a bad idea. Something like that could work, but I don't know her tastes in fashion. She could hate jewelry with a passion for all I knew."

Blanc pictured a silver chain resting perfectly in the V-neck of Neptune's hoodie. It was the perfect spot for a pendant. As far as Blanc knew, the goddess had nothing else to put there...

Pulling her back to reality, Noire coughed and glanced at a clock on the wall. "Blanc, it's getting late. You should probably be heading home."

Blanc realized that more than an hour had passed since she arrived at the Basilicom; it was approaching midnight. If she were to stay much longer, she may as well bunk in Lastation for the night.

"You're right. I'll be leaving now," she said as she pushed off the wall and shook her legs out. "I don't want to overstay my welcome. Thanks for the help."

Noire smiled. "Don't mention it. Oh, and by the way, "she added in a sinister undertone. "There's one thing you can do for me; you can think of it as your payment. Just make sure nobody goes around spreading rumors about me. If you find anyone saying things they shouldn't, come to me so I can... clear up any misunderstandings."

Blanc felt a chill run up her spine. She agreed without question and closed the door on her way out.

It sure was cold tonight...


	5. Day 5

Blanc held carefully the hollow glass orb she had created hours ago. With shaking hands, she lowered it, stopped, then lifted it clear again.

"G-Goddess..." she swore to herself. Her hand was unsteady, but right now was when she needed it to be perfectly still.

She set it down on the table and wiped the pads of her fingers on her sleeve. The last thing she wanted was to put a careless imprint on the gift she would be wrapping for Neptune, even though it would be a menial task to wipe it clean later.

Blowing out of the side of her mouth, she let her shoulders untense and her arms relax. Her hand made a fist, then she uncurled her fingers, took a deep breath, and picked up the glass.

"One more time," she muttered.

Slowly and painstakingly, Blanc lowered the glass over the pedestal. She dared not go quickly out of some unreasonable fear that the glass would break—but what was a gift if it were so fragile as to shatter at a gentle tap?

Either way, she slumped in relief as the ball of glass aligned perfectly with the outline on the pedestal. She let go and stared at the assembled snow globe.

The clock in her pseudo workshop read some time past six. A customized snow globe mounted atop a steel-gray stand sat on her desk. The piece, no bigger than the length of a compact disc, had taken her over nine hours to craft; she had worked ceaselessly from the time she woke up until now. But without Nepgear's assistance, whom Blanc had reached out to the day before, making something like this in such a short time would have been an impossible dream.

Blanc had contacted the tinkerer shortly after visiting Noire in Lastation. Inspiration had struck on the way home, in the midst of a late-night snowfall. Thankfully, Nepgear had been awake at the time and surprisingly cooperative. She readily agreed to visit the CPU and help her make the Christmas present.

Sure enough, Nepgear had arrived in Lowee right on schedule at nine in the morning. With Blanc's permission, she swept one a seldom-used desk clear and turned it into a "creation station", as she put it.

 _"You can make the base really refined if you take a coaster made of acetylated wood, wrap it with carbon fiber, and coat it with metal,"_ the gearhead had explained savvily before they started to work. _"I saw something online, and it was so cool I just wanted to do something with it."_

Nepgear had also provided the necessary materials to create the snow globe. If not for her help, Blanc wouldn't have been able to pull it off. She would have had to start with something storebought or, goddess forbid, "DIY".

Being a crafter at heart, Nepgear had insisted they start from scratch. When Blanc started to gripe about the amount of work cut out for them, Nepgear had been adamant and surprisingly brutal:

 _"You're handmaking a gift for_ my _sister! It better be the best thing you've ever made, or I'll just make a better one and give it to her before you."_

Nepgear was one hell of a personality. Regardless of what anyone said, her aura was unique. She had a drive unlike any other, especially when it came to Neptune.

"Aw! Thanks Blanc, that's... that's the first time someone's ever thought something like that about me."

Startled out of her mind, the CPU turned around to see Nepgear holding a small blue tray with two glasses of juice and a handful of tangerines. In the outer corner of her eye welled a tear, threatening to fall. Blanc rushed forward and took the tray so the girl could wipe her face.

"Th-thanks. Hold on, something got in my eye," she mumbled and flicked the drops away with the back of her hand. "There we go. I hope you don't mind me searching your fridge. Or peeking at the narrative."

"I told you to make yourself at home, didn't I?" Blanc smiled and put the tray on the sideboard. She motioned at the snow globe. "I finished putting it together. Can you take a look?"

The goddess stepped aside to let Nepgear inspect her handiwork. The tinkerer's eyes shone animatedly as she examined the object, turning it this way and that to take in every detail.

"Wow, it's pretty!" she gushed and tapped the dome with her fingernail. "You and Neptune are so cute in that picture. I can't wait until the glue sets and we can make the snow fall!"

Blanc felt heat rising to her face. "H-hey, don't make any unnecessary comments," she fussed. "Just make sure it won't break when I try to pick it up."

Inside the snow globe, stuck in the snow at a slant, was a framed photo of Blanc and Neptune together—something that rarely happened peacefully. The former held an open red book in her hands, and the other peeked over her friend's shoulder with cheer plain on her face.

"You did everything right, so it shouldn't break easily," Nepgear said as she straightened up, satisfied with the results. "Just give it a day or two, then you can wrap it. And make sure you polish it too! The glass and the base, until they shine."

Pleased with herself, Blanc took a tangerine from the tray and plucked the stem and leaves. She knew Nepgear had picked them out with her in mind. Nepgear knew her tastes, which only made sense considering the unambiguous solicitude that was a part of her character.

Nepgear also grabbed one of the fruit and a cup of juice. She stood by the desk and let her hands peel the citrus, keeping her eyes fixed on the snowy ornament.

"I was sort of surprised when you asked me to help make a gift for Sis," she told Blanc. "But you really put a lot of effort into it. You should be really proud."

Blanc smiled inwardly. The words of praise did give her a feeling of pride, like she had proved herself a worthy student. "Thank you," she said. "For some reason, I... this year, it's been..."

Her voice trailed away, leaving the other girl hanging. But Blanc couldn't come up with a reason for why this year, and this snow globe, meant so much to her. It may have been Mina's influence speaking, or maybe somewhere deep inside she actually did feel that way.

"You too?" Nepgear exclaimed. The empathy in her voice surprised the goddess. "So much happened this year. I started the year with so much enthusiasm, but I feel like somewhere along the way I just lost it. Then it came back somewhere else along the way, and everything went full cycle. Now, I feel like a different person than who I was before, like I've grown in so many different ways."

Listening and repeating the words in her head, Blanc scrutinized the girl before her. Perhaps there was something new about Nepgear, but she wasn't perceptive enough to notice. If there was any physical change, it was slight.

To her mentor, Blanc said, "You've changed, but for the better." Nepgear lifted her eyes to meet the goddess' stare. "You're a lot more reliable. You've also gotten used to dealing with Rom and Ram."

That last comment made the Candidate smile. She grabbed a few strands of her long, purple hair and played with it. "Thanks, Blanc. I've spent a lot of time with them this year, too. Babysitting for little IF and Compa and Peashy in the other dimension actually helped me learn how to better work with the younger kids."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, taking sips of their juice and peeling tangerines. As it happened, Lowee was the perfect climate for growing the CPU's favorite fruit. Ripe in the winter, orchards all over the countryside supplied the nation with a steady production of sweet, easy-to-peel citrus.

Blanc popped a slice into her mouth, savoring the tang and the natural sweetness. Nepgear watched, incredulous, then frowned at her own snack.

"How do you peel them so quickly? Mine keeps sticking together," she complained. She dug a nail into the orange and scraped the peel away. Juice dripped down her hand and onto her skirt.

"Oh. Those ones are harder to open," Blanc said. "But they taste better, so it's worth it."

"Can we trade? I'm destroying more than I'm eating, so I'll settle for the easier one."

Blanc accepted the beat-up tangerine and dug her fingers into the skin, swiftly separating the outer layer. It did not come away easily, but in a few seconds she was able to take a bite.

"So... Was it worth it?" Nepgear asked, effortlessly peeling her orange.

Blanc nodded. "I have to work a little harder," she admitted, "but the sweetness makes it all worth it."


	6. Day 6

"Blanc, Blanc, look at this!"

Ram flew into her older sister's room brandishing a pink envelope above her head. Rom entered a second after holding a similar, blue envelope.

"It's an invitation!" she said by way of explanation. While she was nowhere near as loud as her sister, she sounded excited nonetheless.

Blanc accepted the letters from her sisters and opened one.

"Wow, it's even handwritten," she muttered, nodding her head in respect to the writer. Whoever had sent the invitation put a fair amount of effort into it. She unfolded the paper and read it:

 _CANDIDATE CHRISTMAS_

 _Lastation Basilicom, Lastation_

 _Christmas Day, 5:00 – 10:00 PM_

 _Bring your gifts!_

 _Uni ( & Nepgear!)_

"M-Miss Nepgear wrote it," Rom informed her. "I recognize her writing. She says it's messy, but she writes slow so she doesn't make mistakes."

Ram took her letter back and jumped up and down. "Isn't that cool? We're going to a Christmas party!" she cheered.

Later, Blanc would have to thank Uni and "Miss Nepgear" for inviting her sisters to a party. Of course, she had no reason to stop them from going. Seeing Rom and Ram in such a good mood always touched her heart, and she was glad they had an occupation on one of the busiest nights of the year.

"What will you do for presents?" she asked, pointing a finger at the opened letter. "You two still have to get something for Nepgear and Uni."

Ram was quick to shrug off responsibility. "Beats me. Rom, what're we gonna do?"

"Um..." Put on the spot, Rom couldn't answer. Her face grew anxious as she tried to come up with something.

"I know for sure that they'll have their own gifts to give to the both of you," Blanc reminded them. "You can make something or buy it. Do you know what they like?"

"Guns," Ram answered. "And robots!"

"There you go. Buy a gun then."

The suggestion was only a joke—like Blanc would allow her kid sisters to go purchase a firearm—but the twins seemed to seriously consider the idea.

"How 'bout a sniper rifle?"  
"Uni has a lot..."

"Then a machine gun!"  
"Those too..."

"A tank!"  
"Miss Nepgear built her one last year."

Frustrated, Ram whined and broke away from her sisters. She wandered around the room, running in the empty space but taking care near Blanc's desk. Last time she had knocked something important to the ground, Blanc had been miserable for days. While Ram had no idea how valuable the object had been, the CPU was so melancholic over its loss that it told her more than enough. An important lesson had been learned: When Blanc herself was depressed, it was impossible not to feel the same way.

Noticing something unusual on the table, Ram stopped and pointed. "Hey Blanc, what's this? Did someone give it to you? Oh, was it Neptune?" she added after seeing the picture in the center.

The snow globe was still in the same spot as yesterday, in the center of the table cluttered with a worker's tools. Nepgear had left part of her kit behind along with a note on how to fix the snow globe if it were to break.

Blanc remembered the handywoman's last words before she went home:

 _"I can't wait until the glue sets and we can make the snow fall!"_

She walked over to the desk silently, intentionally kindling her sisters' interest. Ram moved aside to let her approach, but she and her twin could sense that something was about to happen and stayed close.

The glue should have set by now. The snow was inside the orb, resting at the bottom, and all it needed was a gentle shake. Yet Blanc still felt nervous; her lungs contracted, and her mouth went dry. She knew her fear was unreasonable, and she had known from the start. Though made of glass, the snow globe was durable—Nepgear had said so. Just like herself, small size did not infer fragility.

Swallowing the sickening apprehension that filled her chest, Blanc lifted the snow globe by its pedestal. It was lighter than she expected it to be, since no liquids were used to fill the snow globe. This was the experiment to see if the design would actually work. Holding it with one hand underneath and another cupped around the glass ball, she took a deep breath and gave it a light shake.

"Nothing happened!" Ram pointed out the obvious. "You're too gentle! Here, can I try?"

Blanc shook her head quickly, moving her prize away from Ram's outreached hand. Already on edge as is, she did not want to risk it breaking from an overzealous shake.

"Y-you can do it, Blanc!" whispered Rom. The quiet girl seemed to sense and empathize with her older sister's trepidation.

Despite all of Blanc's worries, the ball did not roll off the pedestal and shatter into uncountable pieces. When she shook it again, white powder sprung from the floor of the snow globe. It floated a bit before settling back down.

"One more time! You can do it!" the twins cheered for her.

Then they gasped, amazed, when Blanc shook the snow globe a third time and roused a spinning snowstorm. White flecks swirled about in a spiral around the photograph in the middle. Weightless, they floated and fell like real snowflakes. Twenty seconds later, all the snow was back at the bottom.

"That was so cool!" Ram whooped. She touched the glass right above the picture. "Did Neptune really make this? I didn't know she was this good!"

Blanc was compelled to clear up the misunderstanding so she could boast a little. "Actually, I made it. This is what I'm giving to Neptune for Christmas."

Again, the twins were impressed, but even more so than before. Enamored with their sister, they both hugged her at once.

"Really? You're so cool at making things!"  
"Miss Neptune is so lucky!"

Blanc smiled at the pair. Her pride was on a highway to heaven; first Nepgear had praised her handiwork, and now Rom and Ram were absolutely enthralled.

"So, any ideas what to do for your own gifts?" she hummed. Hopefully, seeing her handmade present had given the girls an idea. They exchanged looks as if confirming with each other.

"Yup! Me and Rom have a perfect idea!" Ram giggled and grinned at her lookalike.

"Is it a snow globe?" Blanc asked, lifting an eyebrow.

The twins looked at each other again, then smiled in sync at their older sister.

"Maybe, maybe not!"  
"We aren't telling..."

They refused to say anything more on the matter. But they did, however, beg Blanc to take them Christmas shopping. They tugged on her sleeves and asked her politely, but Blanc had already made up her mind to accompany them.

That way, just in case they really did try to buy a gun...


	7. Day 7

All four CPUs were gathered in the highest room of Planeptune's Basilicom, just as they had approximately a week ago.

"So as it turns out, we haven't actually sorted out all the details yet," said Neptune, sitting atop her pinkish beanbag. "Histy's being real Meticulousty, and she wants to know everything. She wouldn't leave me alone until I told her I'd figure out everything ahead of time."

A smile touched Blanc's face. She had been in a similar situation not too long ago. Firstly, Mina had pressured her to participate in the gift exchange, and now Histoire was invested in ensuring that the party was a success. Next, Chika would be stringing mistletoe from the ceiling, and Kei would invite everybody in Gamindustri to her corporate business party.

"Histoire's pretty serious about this holiday stuff, huh?" Blanc said slyly. Neptune's head bobbed.

"Yahuh. At least she's okay with it. So, what's our plan guys?"

Noire looked annoyed, just like the last time she had been in Planeptune—déjà vu. Even during the snowy season, there was always something that bothered her. Typically, it was Neptune.

"Don't tell me you're avoiding your own responsibility," she accused from her spot on the side of the bed. "It's not like you're planning a huge, all-day event. It's just a regular party."

Neptune nodded slowly, taking her time to think.

"Well, I just thought it'd be better if I asked for your guys' input. Just so everyone is happy with the results, you know?"

Vert clapped her hands together, drawing the attention to herself. Seated on a spinning chair, she was easily taller than the other three CPUs when she sat up straight.

"Even though Neptune is clearly lying," she said with a big smile, "this is a good turn of events."

Ignoring Neptune's displeasure—"Hey! Who's the liar?—Vert started listing objectives to be sorted out before the party: venue, decor, activities, agenda, food.

"Assuming the event will be hosted here in Planeptune, we must plan accordingly," she said after tallying up the task list. "With the exception of food, which we'll figure out afterwards, be sure to bring everything here in advance. Neptune should be capable of setting things up by herself, so we can make our contributions in resources and leave the rest to her."

Noire looked troubled. "Are you sure? I'm almost afraid to trust her with it."

Too proud to let herself be disparaged, Neptune coughed and gave the others a piercing look. "Hey, I'm competent! Plus, I have Nepgear and Histy to help me."

"Okay, Neptune." Vert's smile grew wider. "Thank you for volunteering to do set- and clean-up."

"W-wait what? No, I..."

Quickly, the goddess of green pastures assigned roles to the others. Blanc was tasked with bringing the centerpiece of decor:

"A tree?" she repeated. "Sure, I can find one, but why me? You can't expect me to carry that thing all the way here from Lowee."

The sort of tree used traditionally for Christmas, an evergreen fir, was best grown in a boreal climate. For this, the ideal place was on the northern border of Lowee where it was always frigid.

"You're the best suited out of all of us," explained Vert. "Lowee is nearest to here, and your nation has the best trees. Planeptune grows the wrong type, and there isn't a single tree in all of Lastation."

"That's not true," Noire interjected. "There are a couple... outside the city, or something..."

Blanc stifled her laughter. Everybody knew it was true, but Noire's pride wouldn't let her accept it. "Give it up Noire," she smirked. "Since nobody else can be relied on, I'd be glad to get the tree this year."

Noire huffed and turned to Vert, waiting for her own assignment. "You can bring lights and streamers," the blonde goddess told her. "We need someone responsible for that job."

Once the work had been split up, Neptune was in a much better mood. With fervor, she moved onto the next topic: "The potluck!"

In traditional Neptune style, nothing had been planned at all. The other three occupants of the room sighed in unison.

"Why plan a party if you aren't going to _plan_ the party?" Noire rolled her eyes. "An invitee shouldn't be subject to all this work."

Blanc was also feeling exasperated at the amount of work left to do, but she ignored Noire's complaints. Things weren't going to plan themselves, so she shelved her disappointment—she could vent on Neptune later—and joined the discussion.

"Someone needs to be in charge of desserts," she said, taking the initiative. "That's the most important thing, isn't it?"

Everyone, including Noire, seemed to agree with her statement. Being exempt from first-world problems like weight gain, the goddesses prioritized dessert over dinner. Many people with a sweet tooth would do the same, if their diets could afford it.

"Leanbox is pretty good when it comes to that kind of stuff," Noire said.

The CPU of Leanbox nodded and put her hands together. "Of course, Leanbox can handle dessert," she said easily.

Not to be outdone, Neptune chipped in as well. "And don't forget my nation! Leanbox is okay, but us Planeptunians are way superior when it comes to making delicious food."

"Oh I wonder why," Blanc couldn't resist. "Maybe it's because their CPU is a glutton. I still don't get why your people are so obsessed with pleasing their goddess."

"They're a devoted bunch," Neptune said with pride.

Ever the sensible one, Vert asked, "How much shall I bring? I can cater for four... hundred, if need be."

"Enough for all of us," Noire said like it was obvious. "You can figure out the details of the menu later. Just bring however much you think is enough. Otherwise, there'll be way too much going on at once."

"Will anyone else be attending?" Vert asked again. "Your sisters, for example. I will be sure to make enough for Nepgear, Uni, Rom, and Ram. I simply cannot forget about them."

"Compa and IF may be around too," Noire mentioned. "We should invite them—"

"No, we shouldn't!"

The goddesses stopped and looked at the source of the outburst. Neptune was sitting up straight in her beanbag, looking like she was ready to spring to her feet. She wore a face of determination as if someone had suggested she surrender her nation to someone else.

"We're goddesses," she said. "Like, the goddesses. Don't you think we can afford to be a little more exclusive?"

"Excluding people is never the answer," Noire said smartly. Across from her, Vert nodded in agreement.

"Noire is correct. Do you have something against Iffy?"

Neptune faltered. "No, but..."

Blanc kept to herself. Instead of chorusing with the others, she thought about what the purple-haired CPU had said; maybe Neptune had a point. Yet, the room was so alive with heated discussion that it was becoming harder to absorb everything that was being said.

"But if you invite too many people, it isn't special anymore!" Neptune said desperately. "Can't you see? This is the first Christmas we're spending together in years. We've gotta keep it close-knit!"

Thinking back to the last time she had spent a whole night together with the three people sitting around her, Blanc found herself agreeing with Neptune. Close friends tended to form groups so strong, outsiders had trouble approaching. As CPUs, they were already treated with a certain amount of respect. Together, the four made for a noteworthy sight.

"You're so determined to restrict the roster," Vert said to Neptune. Her voice was growing presumptuous, as it did when she talked down to people. "I believe there's another reason you want this, so fess up."

Neptune didn't have the chance to defend herself; Blanc finally stepped in to do it for her.

"I agree with Neptune," she said simply. Both goddesses stopped in their tracks and looked at her in confusion. "It's exactly what Neptune said. The more people we have, the less intimate it is. If we're all such good friends, our Christmas party doesn't need to be any bigger than this."

For the first time since they had begun their conference, the CPUs were silent. Blanc risked a sideward glance at Neptune. The goddess had been ridiculously stubborn in her argument, but without Blanc's input it was likely she would have been overruled. Now her face was a big smile.

Heaving a sigh, Vert made a dismissive gesture. "I see your reasoning," she said. "Let us keep the party to ourselves, then."

"I was never against it in the first place," said Noire. "But you two are all for it. It does make sense though. We can still have a great time."

Neptune made a show of wiping her brow. In the moment before she said anything, her eyes darted to Blanc with an unspoken message in them.

"Blanc has spoken," she declared. "Christmas will be just for the four of us!"


	8. Day 8

"Blanc! Are you in here?"

The voice did not belong to either of Blanc's sisters. Both Rom and Ram had disappeared to somewhere, likely to put together their Christmas presents for their friends. Instead, visiting the CPU today was none other than a familiar interloper of roughly the same height.

"Neptune. What is it?" The goddess of Lowee looked up from her book and graced her guest with a mere second of eye contact.

"Just making my rounds," Neptune said. "I'm making sure all my buddies are good with what they've gotta do for the party, and you're first. Know why?"

Blanc did not in fact know why, but she held back from making too caustic a comment. "No. Why me?"

"Because the tree is always the first thing to go up," Neptune answered, "and the last thing to go down! I figured you would need some help with it, so here I am."

At the mention of the tree, Blanc had already filtered Neptune out. She had no intention of spending her day out freezing in the snow. The purple CPU was crazy to think that she could convince her so easily, and with such a smug smile at that.

"That's your problem. Not mine," Blanc said matter-of-factly. "You should've set up the tree earlier. If you leave it until what, four days before Christmas, you're already overdue."

"And that's why I need your help, Blanny!" Neptune spelled it out for her. "The tree is the most important part, and it has to be perfect."

"Call me that and you aren't getting my help," muttered Blanc under her breath.

Her request unfulfilled, Neptune fell silent and paced the room. The CPU of Lowee glared at her for two seconds more before returning to her book. Clearly, someone was determined to have the tree set up today. Unfortunately for that someone, they would have to wait until Blanc was feeling more charitable.

Not a minute later, Neptune was already talking again. It was as if she put away the previous conversation and pulled a new one from a pouch on her waist. "Only four more days 'till the big day," the CPU mused to herself. "Buh-laan, who did you get for your Secret Santa? Let's confide in each other."

"No one important," Blanc shrugged. She gave a cryptic smile. "You?"

Neptune slumped and sighed.

"Only the hardest person on the list!" she complained and threw her arms into the air. "I asked around, but everything I had in mind was already something they had. What's a Nep supposed to do?"

Although Blanc didn't bother to say anything in response, she couldn't help but sympathize. Having felt the same way about her own target, she knew the struggle of trying to shop for someone who already owned everything they wanted. Since the four of them were all CPUs, this problem was exacerbated. A CPU had access to all they ever needed and more; one had to think outside the arcade box to come up with the perfect idea.

"At least I have a trillion other ideas in mind," Neptune laughed. "I'm one of the six Present Lords for good reason, you know."

Rather than make another full circulation of the room, Neptune chose to sat down next to Blanc. As always, she took a meager interest in the book her friend was reading but didn't say anything.

"So Blanc, I just wanna know," she asked. "What are you doing for your gift? I bet you didn't even do it yet."

"My gift? I..."

Blanc faltered. Her eyes strayed away from the book and toward her desk. Neptune's assumption was untrue. The gift was finished already, and it was sitting in plain sight. If Neptune saw, she would know Blanc was giving a snow globe as her gift—the surprise would be ruined. Worst of all, it was _customized_ ; there was a picture of the two of them inside! She would know what to expect and from whom!

Thankfully, the CPU had not yet made the observation. But Blanc needed to get her out of the room promptly before a certain something caught her eye.

"Gift? What? I haven't even started yet," she lied, sitting up and shutting her book. She cringed inwardly when she realized that she had not bookmarked the page.

"You'd better get on it then," Neptune said with a sanctimonious air. "If you wait until the last minute, you'll end up buying a box of chocolates at the store."

Being lectured by Neptune was somewhat of an abject experience, but Blanc forced herself to tolerate it. "You're one to talk," she retorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if only three presents showed up to the party."

"I mean, I'm practically set when it comes to mine," Neptune said proudly. "Maybe if you ask nicely, I can try to help you out."

Blanc just shrugged. Knowing she could easily control the flow of the conversation, she left her book on the bed and stood up. She tried to keep her voice unaffected as she made her way to the door, keeping Neptune's eyes fixed upon her.

"You said something about a tree?" she mentioned slyly. The goddess' face lit up. "I guess we can go get it now, just because you're here and I'm free."

"Aw, that's the Blanc I know and love. I knew you'd come around!" the CPU exclaimed. Jumping to her feet, she lifted her arms and said, "Alright! You've got your game on, so I'll get mine! Activating HD—"

"Wait, don't!"

Blanc acted on impulse, interrupting Neptune before the transformation was finished. The beam of light split through the middle, and out stepped the casually clothed Neptune instead of a luscious, buxom figure.

"What's wrong, Blanc?" she asked, concerned.

Blanc tried to be indirect. "Just... Just stay in your regular form," she mumbled. "We don't have to do much work ourselves, so there's no need to tire yourself out. Plus, it's cold outside, and your HDD form..."

She wanted Neptune to stay. Purple Heart was almost a completely different person. The divinity was not only sensible and perceptive, but her demeanor was on a totally different level than Neptune's. She was not as easy to read. As much as Blanc respected her, she much preferred the other version of her friend.

Neptune was Neptune, but Purple Heart wasn't.

"Oh! Don't worry Blanc, I totally understand you now." Neptune laughed like she had just been told a joke. "You like the small, jiggly-puffy Neppy too. I get that alot, actually. This purple puffball is quite popular among the fans."

Bullet dodged—the CPU had misled herself.

"Well, whatever. Come on, let's not keep us waiting!" Neptune cheered as she ran to meet her friend at the door. "Let's go chop that tree! I wanna be the one who yells, 'Timburr!'"

Hiding a smile, Blanc braced herself for what was to come. Yet, toiling away in the snow for a few hours wasn't wholly an unpleasant thought when a certain idiot was in the picture.

"I hope you're dressed warmly," she chuckled. "If you aren't, you're gonna regret it."

Her purple-haired scatterbrain only scoffed at the difficulty that lay ahead of them. "Pfft. Snow is just chroma keyed in. It'll be like a day at the beach!" she said, striking a pose.

Blanc glanced sidelong at her friend. Her eyes went down, below Neptune's skirt but above her stockings, to where the goddess' bare legs were visible.

"Yeah, you're gonna have a bad time," she sighed, shaking her head.


	9. Day 9

It was becoming ridiculous how often people were barging in on Blanc during her alone time. She was in high demand as of late. But did it count if today's visitor was the same as yesterday's? Could she call herself popular if it was the same person again and again?

"Hey Blanc, I'm here to play!" the purple-haired headache announced her entry.

Rolling over, Blanc instinctively reached for her bookmark. It never hurt to be careful, but around Neptune, it was an absolute necessity. Yesterday was a prime example of one of those instances; to ensure that yesterday's incident would not happen again, Blanc had wrapped the snow globe and hid it in a storage vault in the Basilicom.

"You again?" she said halfheartedly. "I thought you were 'making your rounds'. Don't you have other CPUs to bug today?"

With a snort, Neptune advanced into the room and plopped herself on the bed next to Blanc. "You make it sound like nobody likes having me around. Vert and Noire are just busybodies, but I know you like me. You won't tell me to go away like they did, right?"

"So they don't need help?" Blanc asked, her expression utterly neutral. Maybe wisely, she chose not to heed the girl's off-hand comment. If she were to fall for every verbal landmine the CPU placed, she would be no different than Noire.

Neptune fell backward onto the mattress and stretched her arms, touching the wall with her fingertips. "Nope. And the tree is all decorated, so I have nothing else to do." She pouted at Blanc's disapproving gaze. "It's the holidays, don't look at me like I'm skipping out on work!"

The two were quiet for a while. Neptune seemed content to lie on Blanc's bed and look up at the ceiling humming to herself. The owner of the bed seized the opportunity to reopen her book and continue reading. She was in the midst of a mystical world, one set in an endless ocean interspersed with all sorts of unique islands.

The best types of books were the ones that incorporated a wide variety of themes into a single genre: like a science-fiction story riddled with references to the eighties or a fantasy book that melded the time of dungeons and dragons with the modern world. Blanc liked to read books three times: once for the story, once for the meaning, and once for every word the author chose. It was something she had picked up after reading the absolutely true diary of a part-time writer. One of the characters, a book-lover like herself, had a very particular belief about reading...

"Hey bookworm?" asked Neptune from the foot of the bed. "If you're done geeking out, I think the readers are waiting for something interesting to happen."

Without looking up, the bookworm shrugged and asked, "Like what? Isn't it the main character's job to keep the story interesting?"

"Well, the POV is locked onto you, so I'm sort of struggling to stay in the spotlight here."

Kicking her legs above her head, Neptune did a handspring off the bed and landed on both feet with her knees bent almost ninety degrees. Satisfied, she straightened up and peered at Blanc.

"You look rather pale," she gasped and looked even closer. "Do I detect a case of bookjoint? I've got just the thing for that."

Neptune pulled a game box from her hoodie. On the cover was a picture of a stone-gray mammalian beast craning its neck down to examine a small child. The two were separated by a lush—not dry—ravine, and a fallen tree bridged the gap between them.

"Lastation's been hyping this one up for nine years already," the goddess urged, offering the game box to her friend. "They announced it at some convention and said it would be released in two years, but they had to push it back an entire generation. And they'd been working on it two years before that, too! Man, I brought it up to Noire, and she had the funniest look on her face. It's like she was too flustered to even be proud of how well it was received!"

The CPU of Planeptune sniggered, obviously pleased with herself for teasing her Lastation counterpart. Unfortunately for her, Blanc kept a running list of things she could use to put Neptune in her place, and there was literally nothing to be proud of in the bit she was about to bring up.

"Nine years? That isn't too bad. I remember this one game that was delayed for twelve. It was based on some space-horror flick about zenomorphs or something."

The grin on Neptune's face started to fade. Blanc kept talking, seeing as her friend was only starting to connect the dots.

"Apparently, it took seven years for Planeptune to cut funding for the game because the developers were embezzling funds to work on some other project called Boundarylands. Five years later, the game was released, but it turned out to be a nominee for the worst game of all time. And then, just to rub salt in the wound, Boundarylands did so well that it—"

"Okay! Okay! I get it. Don't remind me about that," Neptune mumbled, her face pale. "We... That was just... Ugh. I don't even have a comeback. How do you even know about that?"

"Books," was Blanc's smart reply. She smiled faintly and said, "Being smart helps me remember useless trivia."

"I don't need another sadist out to get me." Neptune sniffed and ducked her head. When she looked up, she was all smiles again. "Well, how about this one then? Just a warning, you may be a little biased since it's only like, your most popular franchise."

This time, Neptune pulled out not one but two more game boxes.

"Check it out: the new Pocket Monsters games. I had these pre-ordered, but I haven't played them yet. Nepgear and I were gonna pick versions and pull a few all-nighters to play with each other, but then she told me she's too busy and I should find someone else to play with. So, I'm inviting you to be my partner and fill out the Pocketdex with me! I'll even let you have first pick," she grinned and held out both games, one in each hand.

"As romantic as that sounds, I already beat both versions."

Neptune was so crestfallen that Blanc couldn't help but apologize. "I... Sorry, but Rom and Ram and I finished it last month."

"Ouch. Yeah, I guess the game did originate from your nation. Only makes sense that you'd play it first."

Both CPUs were quiet. Neptune was seemingly out of options, and she collapsed onto the bed with a reproachful sigh. No longer in the mood to read, Blanc put down her book. She had reached a good stopping point, so she could give her book a rest.

While this was the exact situation the other CPU had been waiting for, she was currently sprawled out on the mattress, bored out of her mind. With nothing to do but no motivation to leave, she was like an unstuffed pillowcase.

Neptune was one of those people who always redounded in whatever way possible. She was clingy and bothersome and, in spite of always being scorned as the joker, ever the optimist. It was wrong for her to be so dispirited over something so tiny and unimportant as this, and somehow Blanc felt responsible.

The goddess of Lowee wasn't good at small talk. She wasn't good at talking in general, really. The extent of her conversational skills was knowing how to choose her words carefully. Yet even Neptune—whose dialogue half-consisted of obnoxious, tasteless, sometimes obscene references—could hold a conversation better than her.

Blanc scooted closer to the girl on her bed. Neptune only moved her head slightly to match her friend's gaze.

"Howzit?" she greeted, her expression flat like paper. "Hope you're havin' a goooood day!"

"Neptune, I was thinking," Blanc started. She paused doubtfully for a moment, then continued on. "Lowee has a Christmas market for about half a week every year. It's pretty nice. Sometimes I go with Rom and Ram, and we explore until closing time. They set up lots of lights and a huge sign above the entrance, and all the boutiques and bistros are open..."

She talked about the market, getting more and more excited as she recalled the winter festival from years of memory. There was a shop that brewed spiced cocoa, a distillery for the mature to sample spiced wine, even a stand that served free tomato soup out of goodwill. In the center of it all, at the confluence of all the district's alleys, stood a towering Christmas tree decorated with lacy white garland, ornamental red orbs, faint yellow lights, and a multi-point star at the very top. Most popular were the chocolatiers and the market kiosks, where people would flock for warm drinks and souvenirs chocolates bottled in glass jars. The lights kept the entire place bright long into the night, and there was a neon ferris wheel behind the tree. Braziers were lit, and heat lamps provided respite from the winter cold. The entire populace of Lowee marked the market on their calendars, planning a trip if not several.

"Tonight is the last night the market is open, three days before Christmas," Blanc said. She glanced at the clock on her wall, noting the time. "The market doesn't start to close until midnight, so it'll be open for a few more hours. I wanted to go and check it out this year, but I haven't left my room in a while..."

She trailed off, looking at Neptune. The CPU had sat up, and she was watching with a blank expression. A couple seconds passed without either of them saying a word. Blanc averted her eyes and wet her dry lips, only just becoming aware of her own nervousness. She kept talking just so she wouldn't freeze up.

"If you haven't got anything else to do, maybe we can check out the market. It's a national tradition in Lowee, but everyone is invited, really. If you haven't seen it before, then you should come this year. I know the place well, so I can show you around."

Neptune put a finger to her chin and pondered the idea, humming. Curiosity had replaced the look of absolute boredom in her eyes.

"I dunno, Blanc. I wasn't actually planning on spending too much time here," she said slowly. Something got stuck in Blanc's throat. "There's lots of work to do over in Planeptune, and I don't want to make Histy mad by having too much fun."

"W-work?" Blanc croaked weakly. Without realizing it, she had been hyping herself up to go to the market with Neptune. "I... I see. Well, it's not like I haven't seen it before. I just thought you'd want to check it out, but if you're too busy... That's okay."

For a moment, a depressing silence descended over both of them. But then, Neptune burst out laughing, bending so far over her knees she nearly fell off the bed.

"Pff! I'm so sorry, but you were so excited that I"—she broke off and tried to collect herself—"that I just wanted to t-tease you! You were talking so fast, and you were actually _smiling_! Since when have I ever picked work over play? Have too much fun... ahahaha!"

Blanc choked. "W-wha... You!" Emotionally confused, she gaped at Neptune and made fourteen different faces before settling on one. "Screw you, Neptune..."

She brought her fist up and dealt a solid right punch to the other girl's shoulder, prompting a satisfying yelp of pain. Then, with the same hand, she wiped at her eyes to clear her blurred vision.

"Can't believe I believed you," she spat, struggling to form a complete sentence. "The one time I get excited about something, you have to go and—"

The other CPU cut her off with actions rather than words. Her arms were around Blanc before the brunette could even try to hit her again.

"I'm sorry Blanc," she apologized, real regret in her lowered voice. "It was just a joke, don't actually cry. I wanted to go with you from the very start, as soon as you started talking about the lights and the sign over the entrance. "Believe it!"

Neptune maintained the hug for a few moments more than was necessary. Blanc pushed her away after making sure her eyes were dry, and she let out a shaky breath.

"Th-that's fine. Don't sound so serious, it's disturbing," she said in as unwavering a voice as she could muster. "We can go together, but you better not do that again. Ever. I won't pull my punches next time!"

"You pulled that one?!" Neptune flinched, feeling the sore spot on her arm. "You have my word. No more of that."

"Good." Blanc got off the bed. Going to her wardrobe, she pulled open the top drawer and grabbed a pair of gloves and a scarf. Tossing them to her friend, she said, "Come over here and grab a jacket, too. We'll be out there for a while, and you wouldn't stop complaining about the cold when we got the tree."

Neptune fumbled the gloves, but they dropped right into her lap. "Whoa, thanks. I've always wanted a pair of these!"

She wrapped herself up in one of Blanc's winter coats, and the pair were ready to leave. Blanc took one last look at the clock on her wall.

Four hours was plenty of time to enjoy the festival. Plus, she knew how to bypass the huge crowd in front by taking another path through the surrounding buildings, and...

There was no denying it. She was happy about this.


	10. Day 10

Christmas Eve had been relatively quiet so far. Not a single thing had disturbed the goddess of Lowee from enjoying her vacation hours without worry. Any urgent business had been sorted out a week earlier, and her devoted Oracle made sure to take care of any small issues that arose during the holidays. Even Mina had plenty of spare time on her hands thanks to the relative autonomy of the nation. Lowee wasn't a fragile construction that would deteriorate when left alone for a week or two; it would stand for time immemorial, even long after Blanc abdicated the role of CPU to her Candidates.

With nothing else to do, Blanc chose to spend the day cooped up in her room as usual. There was nothing unusual about that; rather, the strangest thing was that no one had come to bother her yet. These days, the goddess representative from Planeptune was the one to do so...

"What happened to her?" Blanc looked around her vacant room, tapping her fingers on the keyboard without pressing any keys. The Planeptunian CPU had become a daily presence in the Basilicom lately, but today she was nowhere to be found. Blanc didn't necessarily care, but it was something she had noticed.

Writing the girl's absence off as unimportant, she turned her attention back to her computer. The culmination of her "12 Days of Christmas" story was due soon. This year, she had decided to do something unique, something no other writer had ever done before: write a chapter everyday for twelve days. It was a duty she had taken upon herself in the name of her dedicated fans—the people who read, enjoyed, and commented on all of her work. She published her stories under a pseudonym for security reasons, but she still had a modest following of about half a thousand people. With words as rich as her own, it was only natural that people would take interest.

So far, she had been successful in having the next day's chapter locked and loaded at least a day in advance. However, the chapter that would be going live this evening still needed to be edited before she could begin working on the finale, which definitely needed to be finished before midnight. It was unlikely that she would have the chance to write an ending for her story, what with the party being tomorrow. All she had to do was wrap up all the loose ends in a neat little package: some sort of truce between the three feuding clans, the conviction of the mischief maker, the reveal of the monarch's long-lost brother, and the realization of love between the two heroines.

"How should I go about doing this?" she murmured as she reflexively scanned for errors. The romance of the heroines could be solved easily; all that was necessary was a kiss forced from an awkward situation, and everything would fall into place afterward. But that was to be the very last scene. First, the clans would have to come together and agree on a sentence for the troublemaker's crimes, and there was also the crown family... Ah, whatever. She could literally retcon things in later. Who would be the wiser?

"I wonder where Neptune is," she thought aloud. Then, she froze as she heard her own words. The page was blank, no inspiration flowed forth, and the only thing in her mind was a purple-haired idiot named Neptune.

What had happened to the CPU, she did not know. Neptune had come to visit yesterday and the day before, and the day before that she had seen Blanc in Planeptune. Every time, there had been a spark between the two of them; first some sort of mutual understanding, then a common goal, and then... yesterday.

Blanc thought back to the events of the previous day with wistful remembrance. She had felt something warm at some point, around when they were leaving the Basilicom. It was like she had embraced her emotions, and they had reciprocated. Neptune had been a source of warmth all night, and they had buzzed around the market square sometimes even hand in hand—only to avoid getting separated, nothing else. They had gotten hot chocolate, tried some wine, and drank steaming soup to ward off the cold. Blanc knew her own cheeks had been rosy the entire time, but she hadn't been able to make out the color of Neptune's face in the myriad of lights.

Again, she was discombobulated to find that she still existed in the real world. Her keyboard had not made a single sound for a while—a look at the clock couldn't tell her how long she had spaced out. Neptune was keeping her from her writing, but she wasn't even nearby!

Blanc growled and swung her fist as if to hit someone. "Quit buggin' me, brainless," she said, but her words fell on deaf ears. In this state, it was impossible for her to get any work done. Today's chapter could be uploaded in its current state, but what of the grand finale? It could be postponed until after Christmas, but that would break the immersion she had been trying all this time to create...

Her fingers twitched over the keys as she argued with herself. Her shoulders trembled, her eyes narrowed, but her legs finally moved. Rising out of her seat, she jammed the power button on her monitor and left the room.

* * *

The green grass outside of the Basilicom rushed up to meet White Heart as she slowed and landed. Once both her feet were on solid ground, she breathed out and reverted to her human form. Nobody seemed to question her presence here in Planeptune, the citizens who saw her just waved. She waved back, of course—being an adored deity, she had to uphold her good reputation.

Not bothering to knock, she entered the Basilicom and smiled at the man staffing the reception desk. He greeted her with enthusiasm, maybe a little too much, and pointed her in the direction of the CPU's room when she asked.

She was sure that her friend wouldn't mind if she just let herself in; they were close enough to be so casual. "Hello?" she called out as she opened the door to Neptune's room.

What she found behind the door was a little out of the ordinary. Neptune was rarely one to use a computer, yet here she was sitting crosslegged on the bed with a laptop in her lap. She started as the goddess walked in. "Huh? Blanc?"

"What are you doing, Neptune?" Blanc asked, coming closer.

"Shopping!" Neptune cried, looking back at her laptop. Her voice sounded strained, and she was swiping the touchpad like she was mashing buttons for a quick-time event.

Seeing the panic in her friend's face, Blanc asked the obvious question: "For what?"

"Christmas," Neptune said. "Something terrible just happened!"

Annoyed by the vague quality of the answers she was getting, Blanc sat herself down next to the purple CPU. Peeking at the laptop, she realized Neptune had two Amazoo windows open side by side and was browsing a catalog of games and tech.

"I was talking with Iffy," the goddess babbled, "and apparently Vert already has the game I got for her! Even after I checked to make sure it was new, she already has it ordered! I can't find anything else, Blanc, I'm in one heck of a predicament right now!"

"Whoa. Chill," Blanc said and shook her friend's shoulder. Even she was put off by how frantic her friend was acting. "Just calm down and think about something Vert wouldn't have. As long as she doesn't already own it, you don't have to get her something she needs... or wants."

"You don't understand. This is Vert we're talking about!" Neptune moaned and fussed with her bangs. "She's gotta have a contract with all these companies; there's no way she could own all of these already."

Blanc had never seen someone, let alone Neptune, so distraught. The stress of last-minute Christmas shopping proved to be a more worthy opponent than several generations of antagonists.

The first thing she needed to do was convince Neptune that the world was not going to end on Christmas day. Thinking for a few moments, she did her best to think of what Vert—ugh—would find useful.

"Here's an idea," she said. Instantly, the other CPU was all ears. "How about you get her something from the PC Continent? She's really into computer gaming, so just buy her some new tech."

"This is Vert," Neptune repeated. "I checked, and she already has the best gear. She customized her computer, for the love of Nep! She'll probably spit on my present!"

The CPU went back to scrolling down her webpage. She wouldn't stop fidgeting, and she would draw blood if she bit her lip any harder. Blanc was overcome with a strong urge to shut the laptop and toss it off the side of the bed.

"Ugh," she grumbled darkly. She settled for giving Neptune another jolt on the shoulder. "Will. You. Just. Stop?!"

Neptune sat up like she had been struck by lightning, and she closed the computer with a snap. Now that Blanc had her friend's attention, she sighed and let her expression soften

"Keep calm and don't panic," she said, "were the words of my favorite hitchhiker."

"But I don't have a present for tomorrow, and—"

"Just chill out, geez. It's Christmas, woman!"

Blanc scooted even closer until they were practically touching. Neptune instinctively leaned into the brunette, setting Blanc's face afire. The goddess was literally a lightweight; she couldn't have been heavier than one of the twins.

"Neptune..." Blanc mumbled. "You're being out of character. I'm surprised you have it in you to care so much about a Christmas present."

The CPU made a childish pout. "I have to. I committed, didn't I? How would it look if I brought in something boring and lame, especially if I get something totally cool? I wouldn't deserve it."

"Of course you do," retorted Blanc. "A gift shows someone how much you care about them, and I... it's the thought that counts, so it really shows me that you care about Vert. For some reason."

Neptune sighed and hung her head. Blanc blushed and moved her face away, resisting the temptation to lean her cheek on the girl's messy hair.

"Listen," she said. "Can we go to Lowee? I think I have something that may solve all your problems. But you have to promise to keep it between us."

Reluctantly, the goddess sat up and climbed out of her bed. She was still dispirited, but hopefully that would change when they got to Lowee. Blanc would have to reveal some sensitive information, but she trusted Neptune well enough to not bite the hand that fed her... nor the one that held her.

* * *

"Holy Nep! I knew you were a book girl, Blanc, but you've got a crazy amount of books in here!"

Neptune reached into the closest box and pulled out a paperback, flipping through it. Blanc swallowed and watched, hoping the CPU wouldn't be too shocked.

"Uh, whoa," she stuttered and dropped it back in. "That's raunchy." Blanc felt her face heat up, but she cleared her throat and pretended not to have seen.

"This is where I keep the books I get for free," she explained, gesturing around at the multitude of boxes stored in the small storage room. "They're all from conventions. Writing conventions."

Neptune whistled as she looked around at the collection. "Dang! That's good." Like she had already forgotten the previous incident, she walked over to another box and popped open the top.

Blanc shuddered as Neptune murmured to herself while digging through the heaps of dark history. There was a reason she had not mentioned this room to her younger sisters.

"This one was from a circle a couple years back," she pointed out a noteworthy box, "and this one was from the same circle but later. They're, well..."

She faltered, unsure of how to go about explaining why the contents of that particular container were so important to their cause. An explanation wasn't necessary, because Neptune just walked over and grabbed something at random.

"Um. How shall I say this to you, my best bosom buddy?" she wondered, flipping a page. "These are pretty graphic. This is the exact kind of stuff that Vert... that Vert likes..."

Neptune trailed off as she realized the reason Blanc had trusted her with this archive. "Blanc... Are you..."

Feeling a humongous weight lift off her shoulders, the brunette sighed and nodded her head tiredly. "Yes, you dolt. Wrap it up and give it to Vert. It's even boxed up for you already."

Neptune slowly put the book back in its place. "Holy Nep," she said again, sounding almost entranced. "Wow... Talk about deus-ex-machina doujinshi," she laughed. Almost bouncing, she went up to Blanc and threw her arms around the amateur author. "Thanks so much, Blanny! You really saved my hide, you know!"

Blanc let herself be cuddled by the other CPU. After a second, she lifted her arms to return the embrace.

"Just consider this," she said with a smile, "my first gift to you."


	11. Day 11

"Heya Blanc, you're the first one here. And look at you, you're all Santa-y and everything!"

Neptune greeted Lowee's goddess at the door wearing her usual clothes plus a red-and-white hat. She said, nodding appreciatively, "Wow. I didn't expect you would actually come in costume. I didn't really mean it when I said we all had to come dressed up, but I guess this is a good thing!"

"Hi, Neptune." The CPU told herself to smile as she walked into the Basilicom. Her outfit was just an unadorned red tunic that fit her small figure perfectly. Originally used for the four-player Legend of Hero game, it had been adjusted to serve as festive fashion for the holidays. Her sisters had been relentless in trying to get her to wear it. But she could feel Neptune's eyes on her, checking her out and ravenously admiring her getup. In spite of herself, she blushed a little.

Planeptune was decked out for the holy night. While snow was exclusive to Lowee, the land of purple progress was no less a winter wonderland than its northern rival. The streets had been strung from top to bottom with lights, and there were plenty of winter-themed decorations. While the Basilicom wasn't as gaudy as the rest of the city, half of Planeptower was covered in artificial snow. In front of the building, there was a bowl filled with candy canes and a sign reading _Free! Take one_ —likely, it was Neptune's idea to offer complimentary candy to the public for Christmas.

However, the holiday spirit was on a different level inside the nave of the Basilicom. The first thing Blanc noticed when she walked into the main lobby was the Christmas tree that she and Neptune had harvested the other day. It stood in the center of the hall, tall and proud and gleaming with rainbow lights and ornate decorations.

"So, what do you think of my pad?" Neptune winked, nudging her friend. "Pretty pro job, don't y'agree?"

Blanc nodded and looked around. "It's nice," she admitted. "Planeptune went all out this year."

The hostess grinned and guided her guest to the Christmas tree. Right in front of it was a table with a white tablecloth that fell all the way to the floor. A huge present sealed with lustrous green wrap and a golden ribbon sat next to the table, too large to fit on top.

"Put your present there," Neptune said. "You didn't write your name on it, right? The best part is waiting for them to figure out who sent it!"

Suppressing a cynical snort, Blanc climbed the steps to the platform and put her snowflake-patterned gift on the table. There was a problem with wanting to keep everything unspoiled until the exchange. Namely; Neptune was the recipient, and she had already seen Blanc carrying the present meant for her. On top of that, the personal touch added to Blanc's gift made the sender easily identifiable—and somewhat embarrassing, now that she thought about it.

"Don't worry," Neptune giggled as if she could read Blanc's mind. "I already don't remember what color it was."

"Sure you don't."

Before long, the other two CPUs arrived. Not surprisingly, they had both come a little spruced up. While Vert had shared Neptune's inclination in simply donning some headwear, Noire had dressed up in full-fledged winter wear. Her costume looked much more comfortable than Blanc's repurposed clothes: a shoulder cape and skirt sewn from red fabric, striped with green and black, and lined with white fur along every selvage.

"Good evening, Neptune, Blanc," the goddess of Leanbox greeted the both of them. "My, what a nice costume. Did you also make yours from scratch?"

There was a playful edge in her words. Noire humphed and strode into the room with a disdainful air.

"Vert's been making comments about my clothes ever since she saw me," the CPU scoffed. "I dearly apologize for Lastation's professional designer brands having better fashion sense than the rest of the nations."

Neptune snickered as she ushered the two toward the tree. "But the best designer in Lastation is the CPU. Come on, Noire; everyone knows you look your best when you think there's no one else looking."

The goddesses of Leanbox and Lastation went back and forth all the way up until they reached the table, where they placed their gifts next to the one already there. Then, they walked down the platform and naturally gravitated to the center of the room.

Neptune, mounted on her purple throne—it was the same beanbag from before, honestly—cleared her throat and addressed the other three goddesses

"I'm sure we're all excited..." she announced with a grandiose air. The deity paused, and she was shrouded in a beam of binary light. When she finished transforming, she was gowned for the event in her scanty formalwear.

"... And I'm very happy to have you here! Let us enjoy this Christmas night to its fullest!" Purple Heart lifted her arms, and a handful of Basilicom staff came in holding trays. They set it all on a table at the head of the room and retreated. "Staff, feel free to help yourselves after our guests finish. Lady Vert and I made sure there would be no shortage of delicious food."

Blanc crossed her arms and smirked at the two standing next to her. "Check out this showoff," she whistled. "Os-ten-tatious."

"You think so too?" Vert sighed. "But I wouldn't expect anything less of Neptune. I suppose it's one way to memorialize the occasion."

"Silence in the peanut gallery," Purple Heart snapped. With all the regality a beanbag could offer, she crossed her legs and simpered before deactivating HDD. Neptune reappeared in the same position, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Let's get this party started!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "We'll open presents later. First, I need to destroy you all in a match of Crash Brothers!"

* * *

For every great party, there had to be an afterparty. After hours spent playing all varieties of party games, eating food and sampling dessert, chatting aimlessly, and playing drinking games—nobody was drunk, but they did have liquor—it was time for the gift exchange.

Neptune staggered to her feet, not tipsy but just clumsy. Grinning, she said, "Either we pick on each other like old times, or we draw straws. I can't take volunteers because then I'd be going first."

The four goddesses were gathered around the tree, a present in front of each of them. Having the largest box out of the four, Vert was extremely smug as she stood near her present. Noire had a flatter, orange gift that she could rest in her lap. Obviously, Neptune held the one with the blue snowflake print. Despite claiming to have forgotten who brought it in, she met Blanc's eyes and winked.

Blanc looked away without revealing anything. Rather than glance back at Neptune, whose head was still turned in her direction, she inspected the present she would be opening soon. It was relatively small, wrapped in waxy white gift wrap and tied with a lacy red ribbon. For its modest appearance, there was no telling what was inside. However, Blanc had a feeling it would be something practical; she had seen Noire carry it to the gift table, and the goddess of Lastation was not known for being frivolous.

After a short and inconsequential discussion, Vert gasped and clapped her hands together.

"How about we all open our gifts at the same time?" she suggested, scanning the circle for approval. While two of the CPUs murmured their assent, the last frowned reluctantly.

"Oh come on," Neptune sighed and stuck out her bottom lip. "And here I thought you guys would all gang up on me just like in the first game. I was actually looking forward to it this time!"

The goddess sighed again but nodded and agreed that simultaneously was the best way to go. Vert began to count down when it was clear that everyone was ready.

"3... 2... 1... Go!"

Blanc tugged on the ribbon, and it came loose easily. The wrapping came off without a single tear to reveal a black cardboard box with a tiny Lastation watermark on the corner of the lid. She opened the box and dug through a colorful mass of packing paper, taking a second to be impressed with the thorough packaging of her gift. Inside was an elaborate box set with a brown leather book and a black pen with golden markings.

Underneath the notebook, when she lifted it out of the box to hold it in her hands, was a note.

 _Merry Christmas!_

 _Please use it wisely. And no, I wrote this with my own pen!_

 _Noire_

Bound in leather, the book had a texture like velvet. A thin strap was wrapped around it about three times, keeping it shut loosely. The pages were all blank. This book was meant to be used, and it truly did have the appearance of a logbook or a rustic diary.

Blanc picked the pen up and rolled it in her fingers. It had a bit of weight to it, which was something she had always valued in a good writing utensil. In general, metal made for a much higher quality than plastic; metal lasted longer and required more skill to craft with. Unfortunately, cheap ballpoint pens were becoming more and more prevalent because of the ease with which they could be produced. However, this pen was nothing like the ones available in bulk from stationery stores. It was slim, so it rested comfortably in her grip. Most notable was the italic silver nib, which denoted that it was a fountain pen capable of the beautiful calligraphy strokes that any writer would be envious of.

Closing her eyes, Blanc imagined her words penned in the pages of the book, written in elegant flowing handwriting. While she was at it, she conjured herself up a warm bed and a candlestick to complete the atmosphere.

"Thanks Noire," she said out loud. Lastation's CPU was busy looking over her own gift, but her eyes glanced up when she heard her name.

"Don't mention it," the goddess shrugged. But as she saw Blanc admiring the journal, a smile graced her cold features.

Yet, Noire kept glancing at Vert with increasing disbelief. The two of them had arrived together, so it must have been easy to figure out who delivered her gift. The blonde noticed her friend's attention and smiled.

"What do you think, Noire?" Vert inclined her head at the opened gift. "Being the professional you are, I figured you would appreciate high-quality materials much more than anything I could find in a store."

"Nn... You aren't wrong," Noire murmured. Her cheeks flushed red as she sorted through stacks of fabric and textile. "This is really fine cloth, I'll admit. It's so soft..."

Of course, Blanc realized with a smirk, the gift would be related to cosplay. The nature of her secret hobby was known to all, even though she continually denied its existence.

"And mine!" Vert exclaimed as she prepared to open the huge gift. As expected, her response to receiving a cache of books was lukewarm and strained. "Oh. Books for Christmas, what joy!"

However, she warmed up after looking at some of the covers. Literally, Blanc might have added if she were writing the story; Vert's face grew red after skimming a few pages of the first book on top.

"My... Oh my. This is very thoughtful of you... Blanc, I presume?"

"Not me." Blanc shook her head and motioned toward the CPU of Planeptune. "All her."

"Oh! Neptune, it seems that I have underestimated your thoughtfulness," the blonde said giddily. "Thank you very much. Forgive me if this sounds risqué, you have pleased me like _none other_."

But the purple-haired goddess didn't react. She didn't say anything, nor did she even look up. Instead, she was spellbound by her own gift. She had already given the snow globe a shake, and the snow was floating delicately about inside the orb of glass.

"Blanc, you made this?" she asked, looking to Blanc herself for confirmation.

A fresh wave of embarrassment surged over the brown-haired CPU as she got a good look of her snow globe and the picture inside it. What had she been thinking when she took that picture from her album? She fidgeted in her chair as both Noire and Vert crowded around Neptune to see what was the big deal.

"Wow, this is..." Noire's voice trailed away, and a faint pink colored her cheeks. "So cute... Look at this photograph, it's so... so warm!"

"Heavens, a handmade gift? Someone was very lucky this year," Vert teased. "Neptune, look at your little holiday harbinger. She's red all over!"

"There's even a picture of us inside!" Neptune gushed and laughed happily. "Wow, you actually kept that picture from when we went to that school together? That's sweet."

Blanc realized with horror that she was quivering and blushing like a schoolgirl. She was being way too nervous. Her gift was way too sentimental. It was totally out of her character. Plus, it wasn't even that impressive, so she didn't understand why everyone was looking at her like that...

"Y-y-you're welcome," she stammered, mentally cursing herself for being pathetic. "Er... Merry Christmas, Neptune."

Shocking everyone, Neptune got up and went over to Blanc to embrace the beet-red goddess tightly, knocking the hat off her head and nearly killing her with surprise.

"Aw, you're the greatest, Blanc! Never change, okay?" she laughed.

Blanc got over her surprise and stopped letting her arms hang lifelessly. When Neptune was hugging her so tightly and laughing so happily, all there was to do was hug her back; so, that's what she did.


	12. Day 12

Blanc stirred, dimly sensing that it was morning. She turned on her side and reached for a blanket that wasn't there. Grumbling, she settled for hugging the nearest soft thing to her chest and huddling deeper into herself.

When she finally found the motivation to wake up, she pulled her legs in and sat with them parallel over each other. The soft thing she had hugged earlier turned out to be her hat, which she usually took off before she slept. The CPU took a few minutes to readjust to the natural light of her surroundings.

She hadn't woken up in her room, that much was clear. The rooms of Lowee's Basilicom were soothing and easy on the eyes, but right now Blanc could count at least five shades of purple. The color scheme alone was enough to tell her where she was: Planeptune.

"Hm..." Still not fully awake, she shifted into a crosslegged position and made herself comfortable. She could remember staying past the end of the party yesterday. The other two goddesses, Noire and Vert, had departed some time after midnight. Blanc had offered to stay and help with the clean up, and then... she must have crashed with Neptune. Maybe even literally, considering that she couldn't remember lying down. Considering how she typically stayed up so late that it wasn't uncommon for her to go to bed in the middle of the day, the chances that she had simply nodded off in Planeptune were quite high. Recently, her grand twelve-part story had been absorbing so much of her time that her sleep schedule had been skewed by four or five hours.

Eventually, Blanc was feeling up to the task of sliding closer to the edge of the bed. She put her legs down, but rather than stand up, she stretched her arms straight up and accidentally touched the upper bunk bed where Neptune's sister usually slept. Speaking of Nepgear, she must have wondered why Blanc was staying overnight in Planeptune. If that was the case, it was likely that she had persuaded her older sister to share top bunk with her while the bottom bunk went to Blanc.

As Blanc arced her back and rolled her neck to iron out every kink in her body, she looked toward the open window. Rain or shine, the window in Neptune's room always seemed to be open. Thankfully, it was directed away from the bed, so the framed sunlight fell on the floor in front—coincidentally, right on top of an unconscious girl with messy purple hair.

"Neptune?" Blanc gaped at the girl sleeping on the floor in her sleeveless top and shorts. Somehow, she had ended up on the bed while the owner of said bed ended up on the floor. "Why..."

Asleep, Neptune stirred and rolled around on her sleeping mat. Her eyes were shut tightly, like she had heard the wake-up call but had no intention of heeding it.

"No," she murmured like a child, curling her legs to her chest. "It's early, leave me alonely..."

The goddess must have tucked her friend into the bed and selflessly taken the floor. An appreciative smile made its way to Blanc's face. Ignoring her friend's sleep-fuddled nonsense, Blanc tried to piece together the events of last night: nothing occurred to her, even after pondering it for several minutes.

Absentminded as usual, Blanc wondered why the CPU of Planeptune had chosen to sleep on the floor in her own house. Nepgear would have no objection to bedding with her big sister, and one of them could have even slipped in with Blanc—though they would have woken up with a splitting headache if they dared try such a thing.

Footsteps outside in the corridor warned Blanc that someone was approaching. There was a knock at the door, so light that it may not have been real, but there was no chance to hide as the door swung open.

"Neptune," a familiar, sweet voice sang. "It's time to wake up. Don't tell Histoire about this, but I brought you something real special for breakfast! Only because I woke up at Uni's house for some reason, but nobody needs to know that..."

Apparently, that last line hadn't been intended for anybody's ears. Oh well.

The goddess' little sister, Nepgear, came in holding a plate of sweets. Her doting smile, meant only for a specific older sister, faded into a look of confusion to see someone else sitting in her sister's bed.

"Um. Am I in the right house?" she laughed nervously, scrutinizing Blanc and the rest of the room. "Oh, Neptune. There you are."

After noticing her sister passed out on the ground, Nepgear walked over and set the plate down next to the mat. "Goodness, why are you on the floor? Blanc, why did you push her off the bed?"

"What? No, I didn't!" the CPU denied. "I wouldn't do that... Wait, I didn't even sleep with her!"

The Candidate paused and looked between the two. "But... You're in her bed," she pointed out. Her sense of logic was so straightforward that it made arguing with her difficult.

"I-I don't remember what happened last night!" Blanc protested. Only after did she question her choice of words. Nepgear looked critically at her before giving her full attention to Neptune, who was starting to wake up.

"Neptune, breakfast," the lilac-haired girl said as if cajoling a pet. "Look, cake and stuff! Me and Uni made it together."

With one sister ignoring her and the other only just waking up, Blanc pulled her legs up onto the bed and scooted back awkwardly. She rubbed her arms and found that they were bare. Her fur-lined coat was gone, and all she had on was the undershirt she always wore underneath. Most of her outfit was draped over a chair on the other side of the room.

"I'm cold," she muttered as she hugged her hat.

"Don't freeze," Nepgear said. She smiled like she had just told a joke, but her eyes were unreadable.

There was some rustling, and Neptune popped her head up over the side of the bed. It was as if she had woken up at Blanc's complaint. She was squinting like she was still trying to wake up, but her face lit up with a lopsided grin when she saw Blanc sitting against the wall and hugging herself.

"You're cold?" she said lazily. "C'mere then, Blanc... Gimme a g'morning hug!"

She was showing Blanc the dopey, distrait smile that she had made her trademark. The half-asleep goddess' open arms looked especially inviting... and her sister was staring intensely.

Oh, whatever. Blanc had nothing to lose. This was an offer she could not, would not, should not refuse. Trying and failing to hide a smile, the CPU crawled over to the edge of the bed and let Neptune embrace her. She gladly returned the hug over her friend's shoulders.

As if the comforting pair of arms wrapped her waist wasn't enough, the combination of surprise and jealousy on Nepgear's face spelled out victory.

* * *

 **Happy holidays. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
